The use of radiation, such as ionizing radiation or electromagnetic fields, in applications requiring real-time minimally invasive imagery is becoming increasingly popular. In most applications, radiation used in imagery is used at levels and durations that minimize radiation exposure risks. In the field of surgical procedures, the patient is generally only exposed for a limited amount of time to potentially hazardous radiation doses. Nonetheless, clinicians are repeatedly exposed to a certain amount of potentially hazardous radiation doses which, over time, may lead to an increased risk of developing cancers or other health issues.
Typically, image-guided minimally invasive surgical procedures involve X-rays, Gamma-rays, the emission of radioactive particles or strong magnetic fields. Current surgical practice consists in using radioprotective equipment such as lead vests and aprons to minimize exposure. To measure the radiation dose accumulated over time by an individual, a single dosimeter is typically worn at chest level. Single dosimeters do not provide an accurate picture of the true radiation dose received by an individual. It is indeed well-established that human tissue responds differently to radiation depending on the area of the body that is exposed. To obtain a more accurate picture of the radiation exposure risk it would be necessary to wear a plurality of sensors such as dosimeters at different locations of the body, on the hands, head, torso and feet for instance, which is not convenient.
A more convenient approach consists in estimating the amount of radiation absorbed by individuals during procedures to increase staff awareness of radiation risk and influence their behavior in hazardous radiation environments.
Preliminary experiments conducted within the ORAMED project, aimed at establishing recommendations for clinicians and promoting radiation exposure awareness, have established that radiation scattered by the environment surrounding a source of ionizing radiation generates a more complex picture of radiation doses in an operating room than a simple direct propagation of the radiation from the source to the absorber.
Document EP 2 117 649 B1 provides a method of signaling the hazardousness of radiation doses emitted from a source of X-rays and scattered in a model of a surgical environment. The propagation of X-rays from the source and scattered by the modeled environment is simulated to determine radiation doses. The hazardousness of the radiation doses is displayed on the floor of the operating room, thus providing only a two-dimensional picture of the radiation hazard. Document EP 2 117 649 B1 thus fails to provide an accurate information to the individuals present in the operating room, mainly which parts of their bodies are exposed to the highest radiation exposure risk. Furthermore, EP 2 117 649 B1 simulates the propagation of X-rays in an operating room comprising still objects only, but fails to consider the impact of clinicians or staff present in the room and who also scatter the emitted X-ray radiation.
For the above reasons, a method of indicating the spatial distribution of the hazardousness of radiation doses attributable to a source of radiation is sought, that provides an accurate information as to which body parts are most concerned with radiation exposure risks and that can help increase the awareness of individuals of their radiation exposure during an intervention.